The storage of firewood is typically accomplished by stacking the wood, thus minimizing the upper surface area most vulnerable to precipitation, often using a tarpaulin over the top of the stack to protect the wood from moisture accumulation. Smaller amounts of firewood are often stored against an exterior wall of a house, nearby a door, for the sake of convenience. Such ready supplies often lack any protection from precipitation and, furthermore, pose a threat to the structure of the house in the form of termites and other wood damaging insects which frequently infest firewood supplies.
Storage of firewood in a large, moistureproof container might prevent damage to the wood from precipitation as well as damage to the house from insect infestation, but a fully moisture proof container would promote condensation in the container and fail to let the wood dry more fully. Similarly, there are other materials, such as flammable fluids and woolens, which would be better stored in a container which is largely moisture proof but provided with ventilation. Vapors from flammable fluids such as gasoline used for lawnmowers may pose a danger in a vapor tight container, yet is is preferable to store such fluids in a protected area, ideally with a shielded means of ventilation. The storage of woolens similarly benefits from an environment wherein insects, primarily moths, are excluded, but ventilation is available.
Plastic containers providing moisture proof storage are well known. Containers providing an abundance of ventilation are also well known, primarily in the storage of fruit and vegetables. The requirements of an ideal environment for the storage of small stacks of firewood close to a house, of numerous flammable fluids such as gasoline as well as woolens and other materials, combustible or not, demand a container that is well protected from precipitation and receives ventilation in a manner that is shielded either from the migration of insects or intrusion of flame. There are, however, no known containers which are largely moisture proof possessing means of shielded ventilation.